Posted by linkadge on July 19, 2008, at 9:56:20
In reply to Re: Want to stop meds ... should I? » linkadge, posted by SLS on July 19, 2008, at 5:32:21
I don't think thats what it suggest at all. If you notice, there is no unanimous drop in rates for all groups in the 1995-2003 period. For instance, in the 34-65 groups there seems to be an increase in this period, dispite the so called increased proliferation of AD drugs. For instance, in the 45-64 group rates start to go back up from 1995 to 2003. In the 35-44 range there is no significant rise or fall from 1995-2003. I would expect the 35-65 age range to be the ones that saw the *most* increase in antidepressant prescriptions in this timeframe. You've got all the baby boomers hitting mid-life crisis at this point.
Nevertheless, there is no unanimous drop in suicide rates in the 1995-2003 period. It goes up in some groups and goes down in other groups.
I certainly don't see any significant support for the notion that antidepressants decrease suicide rates. The rates rise and peak, for whatever reason dispite the widspread use of antidepressants. By the mid 90's you've got prozac, paxil, zoloft, luvox, MAOI's, TCA's all on the market yet you've got a peak in suicide rates.
Even if the drugs became more available or more widely used in the 1995-2003 period, you only see drops in certain age groups, and there is no way to link the two events. Also, the relatively small decrease from 1995-2003 in certain age groups does not bring it anywhere near the rate it was before the advent of antidepressants.
Antidepressant enthusists have no idea why the suicide rate rose and peaked in the mid 90's yet they are somehow convinced they know why it has slightly declined (in certain age groups) since then? That doesn't make sense.
There is no way to suggest that the relatively small decrease in rates from 1995-2003 in certain age groups is an effect of antidepressant medication and not just a natural/random trend. Like I said, you see it go up in other age groups at the same time and in the groups that it drops it does not go down to a level it was in the pre AD period.
Linkadge
poster:linkadge
thread:840049
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20080718/msgs/840740.html